Television has become integral to the daily experience of most consumers. Until recently, television content was provided only as an analog signal either by means of a wireless transmission (e.g., network television) or via coaxial cable (e.g., cable television). However, as viewers turn to higher-quality video and begin to demand additional features, such as video-on-demand, content providers have begun to rely on digital solutions, such as video streaming over networks or digital cable transmissions. While these digital solutions often provide many of the features sought by consumers, they typically require the consumer to invest in expensive and complex equipment.
To illustrate, consumers typically must utilize a personal computer (PC) to receive and display video content streamed or otherwise provided via a computer network. However, PCs are designed to support a wide variety of functions, from Internet browsing and word processing to the processing of detailed scientific data. As such, PCs implement complex hardware architectures and sophisticated operating systems in order to be capable of supporting the widely divergent tasks expected of them. The complexity of PCs results in a user experience that is different from the traditional television experience in that they often require a substantial amount of time to “boot up” before they can be operated by a user, whereas conventional televisions typically are ready to provide video content almost immediately. Moreover, with their multitude of exposed cables and constant fan noise, PCs often present an aesthetically unappealing solution for television viewing. Similarly, the set-top boxes typically required for receiving and processing digital cable transmissions often detract from the visual appeal of the television setting. Moreover, as opposed to PCs, conventional set-top boxes typically are of limited functionality in that they typically interface only with coaxial cable connections and provide functions directed to processing video and audio content of a cable television transmission.